


We Make Our Own Rules

by red_special_specialist



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Best Friends, Falling In Love, GW2020, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25478425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_special_specialist/pseuds/red_special_specialist
Summary: Mickey gets kicked off the little league team, and Ian is there to comfort him.My fifth entry for Gallavich Week 2020!
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 16
Kudos: 111
Collections: Gallavich Week 2020





	We Make Our Own Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, not much to report except I really like this one :) Thanks for reading!

Ian Gallagher was Mickey Milkovich’s best friend.

It all started on one sunny Saturday morning. It was their first game of the summer and Mickey was excited to play. He remembered having to beg his mom about five hundred times to sign him up for little league, but his mother kept refusing, saying they didn’t have the money. That was until one day, Mickey’s mother had surprised him by saying that she made up the extra cash to sign Mickey up.

Mickey had been very excited of course. At eight years old, Mickey knew there were a lot of things he wasn’t good at, most of them having to do with school, but sports weren’t one of them. He loved baseball and would play as often as he could with his brothers, but there was something about being on an actual team that made Mickey feel better somehow, more important.

Now, after having gone to all the practices, and pickpocketing the money to afford the uniform. Mickey Milkovich walked up to the dugouts with his older brother’s bat and catcher’s mitt, ready to play.

He surveyed the other team as they filed in one by one. They had bigger guys on their team, but that didn’t matter. Size had nothing on skill, and Mickey had that in spades. Mickey was one of the smaller kids on his team. The smallest, of course, being Ian Gallagher, but the kid was only six. Mickey assumed that he’d grow a lot bigger when he hit Mickey’s age. The kid was a spitfire though, and Mickey wasn’t just thinking that because of the kid’s fiery red hair. Ian was a natural. He was hardheaded, fast, and determined. He was the team’s secret weapon, and Mickey smiled at the fact they had an upper hand on the competition, without the other team even knowing. He knew they wouldn’t think twice about Ian being a threat, due to his size. Mickey was excited to see how that was going to play out.

When everyone had arrived, the game started. Mickey was doing well, despite this being his first year playing. His team was winning by four points, and he was satisfied about how he thought the score would turn out. That was, of course, until he had to use the bathroom.

Mickey didn’t know it was against the rules to pee outside. He’d been doing it all his life. If he had to go, he’d just drop his pants and go. No one cared, no one gave a fuck. So, it baffled Mickey, that when he pulled his pants down and started pissing on second base, the coach would get mad about it. Not only did he get mad, but he kicked Mickey off the team.

Mickey didn’t pick up his mitt after that. Not even to play with his brothers. His mother comforted him, while his father clobbered him over the head for wasting their money. His brothers thought it was hilarious and his sister scrunched up her nose in disgust. They all thought Mickey did it to be funny. To be an asshole. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Mickey loved playing in little league, and it genuinely hurt him that he got kicked off for a stupid rule he didn’t even know about.

A few weeks later, Mickey found himself walking by the baseball field. It was one of their night games, and it looked to be almost over. He sat down and watched from a distance, trying not to cry at the fact that everyone was having fun except him. It was like a party he wasn’t invited to. He wasn’t invited because he didn’t know the rules. It wasn’t fair.

After the game, Mickey waited for everyone to leave before making his way over to the dugout. He ran his hand over the chain linked fence, and then sat down on the bench. It was dark, and Mickey was alone. And in that moment, Mickey felt it would be like this forever. He wasn’t cut out for the Saturday night little league games, or the after-game pizza parties. Who he was, who his family was, they played by a different set of rules. It was a different kind of game. The kind where they had scavenger hunts for what their next meal would be and hide and seek when pops came home drunk and angry. That was who Mickey Milkovich was. So, he accepted his fate, and that he’d be alone in the dark forever. That was, until he heard the sweetest voice call his name.

He looked up to see none other than Ian Gallagher running towards him.

“Hey, Mickey!” The ginger smiled, “What are you doing here?”

Mickey crossed his arms, “None of your business,” he paused before saying, “Why are you here?”

“I think I left my mitt here,” Ian confessed, “Have you seen it?”

Mickey then looked around, before spotting a small catcher’s mitt on the ground. He picked it up and handed it to Ian.

“Thanks!” Ian said gleefully.

Mickey stared at the young boy for longer than he’d like to admit. He had no idea what to say to the kid. For some reason, his mouth felt all dried up. Mickey didn’t like it, not one bit.

“Did you watch our game?”

Mickey nodded wordlessly.

Ian jumped towards Mickey, taking a seat next to him. The kid was like an energetic bunny. “Did you watch me run the bases?”

Mickey did watch him run the bases. In fact, Mickey only kept his eyes on Ian the whole game. He wouldn’t let his mind wonder about what that might mean, however, and just offered Ian a small nod to answer his question.

“I wish you were still on the team, Mickey. I liked playing with you.”

Mickey looked to him, and he didn’t know what it was, maybe the fucking pollen in the air making him teary eyed, but Mickey started to feel the tears fall down his cheeks.

Ian frowned, “Mickey, are you ok?”

Mickey shook his head rapidly and rubbed at his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to stay on the team,” he sniffled, “I didn’t mean to break the rules.”

Ian tilted his head, observing Mickey. He seemed to be confused, until he said, “I thought you did it on purpose.”

“I didn’t.”

“Well, that isn’t fair,” Ian huffed.

Mickey rubbed at his eyes, as he started calming down, “Life ain’t ever fair for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“My family is all messed up. And people don’t want me at their baseball games, or their birthday parties, or anything cus’ I’m a Milkovich. And Milkoviches don’t know the rules.”

“What rules?”

“The rules that say we gotta be like everybody else! Those rules! I’m bad because I don’t know the rules! That’s why you get to play, and I don’t!” Mickey shouted, making the younger boy back up. That was when Mickey realized he messed up again, “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, not wanting the red head to leave.

“It’s ok,” Ian said, and then a silence sat between them. It went on like that for a few moments before Ian said, “If you want, you can come over to my house tomorrow. You can play baseball with me, Lip, and Fiona. If you want?”

Mickey thought about it a moment. He never thought he’d hang out with one of the Gallaghers. There were so many of them, but they all seemed to avoid Mickey and his family. Everyone did. Well, everyone except for Ian. “Ok,” Mickey accepted.

Ian grinned wildly, “Ok. Come over tomorrow around noon,” he said, before getting up, “I gotta go. Fiona will get real scared if I’m not back home. But don’t forget about tomorrow.”

“Ok,” Mickey said, feeling his face heat up for some mysterious reason.

Ian waved goodbye and made his way out of the dugout. He then stopped and turned around, like he’d forgotten something, “Oh, and you don’t have to worry about any rules at our house. We make our own.”

Mickey smiled at that, as he watched the young boy wave goodbye again, before turning back around, then disappearing into the night. And in that moment, even with no one around, Mickey didn’t feel as alone.

***Ten Years Later***

Mickey leaned against the fence, stopwatch in hand, as he watched Ian run the bases. He tried his best not to watch Ian’s muscles flex under his t shirt, when the sixteen-year-old came to a stop in front of him.

“How was that?” Ian asked breathily, leaning over, his hands on his knees.

Mickey looked at the watch, “New record,” he smirked up at his best friend, “Nice job, Gallagher.”

“Thanks,” he said, and then snatched the Gatorade that was in Mickey’s hand, before chugging it.

Mickey quickly grabbed it back, “Aye, dick breath, go get your own drink.”

“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” Ian questioned, wiping off the sweat from his face with his shirt.

“You wanna make the team this year, don’t you?”

“I made it last year.”

“That don’t mean shit, bitch. You can still improve.”

Ian smirked and got closer to Mickey, “I think you just like watching me run and get all sweaty.”

Mickey knew Ian was messing with him, but that didn’t stop the heat that pooled in his stomach, “Fuck off,” Mickey snapped, and Ian laughed.

“What are ya gonna do about it, Milkovich, huh?”

Mickey didn’t think twice before making a grab for Ian.

Ian dodged it and started running.

They both laughed as Mickey chased him around the bases. When Mickey finally caught up to Ian, he tackled him to the ground and they wrestled, “C’mon, tough guy,” Mickey grunted, shoving at this best friend, who kept trying to pin him down, “That all you got, Firecrotch?”

Ian then surprised Mickey, by flipping him over and straddling his hips.

Mickey gasped, when he felt Ian pin his hands behind his head. They both were breathing hard now, staring at each other like deer caught in headlights. Ian didn’t move and Mickey made no effort to push him off.

For the past ten years, Ian and the Gallaghers had served as a second family to Mickey. Mickey stayed at Ian’s more times than his actual home. After that one summer night in the dugouts, Ian had become something special to Mickey. He was his best friend. But, as they got older, Mickey realized his feelings for Ian ran deeper than that. He knew he could never act on them though; he wasn’t allowed. Even when Ian came out to him a couple years back, it still wasn’t allowed.

Ian stared down at Mickey, and then started rubbing Mickey’s wrist with his thumb.

“Gallagher,” Mickey said, his voice scared and unsure.

Ian leaned down so his face was only inches away from Mickey’s, “Yeah?”

“We can’t,” Mickey said softly, as he stared up into Ian’s eyes.

Ian got closer, rubbing their noses together, “Why not? Against the rules?”

Mickey nodded, but he still made no effort to push Ian away.

“What did I tell you, Mickey?” Ian whispered, letting his lips graze over Mickey’s, “We make our own rules.”

Mickey couldn’t hold back any longer. He grabbed Ian by the back of the head and crashed their lips together. Mickey moaned as Ian pushed his tongue in, licking the inside of his mouth. Mickey should have been scared. He should have been fucking terrified. Doing this out in the open, in the neighborhood they lived in? Mickey should have stopped, but he didn’t. Because Ian was right, they made their own rules.

When Ian finally pulled back, he looked down at Mickey, rubbing his thumb over Mickey’s lips, completely entranced with the boy below him.

Thinking of all the moments he’d shared with Ian over the years, Mickey stared back, and then it hit him. A realization that Mickey had always known was true.

Ian Gallagher was Mickey’s best friend. And he was in love with him.


End file.
